"We need victory and not seats," says Nishad party chief Sanjay Nishad

"...I am happy that even the opposition parties are tweeting our mantra - 'jeet chahiye, seat nahi chahiye', even Congress is saying this... In Delhi's gazette, we are in scheduled categories whereas the earlier state governments of UP have done injustice to us (Nishad community) by keeping us in the OBC category," said Sanjay Nishad in a press conference in Lucknow.

Hailing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for being concerned about the Nishad community, Sanjay Nishad said, "CM Yogi Adityanath keeps raising the voice of your community and I hope that we will be brought into the scheduled category in the state's gazette as well. We will support the BJP to make them win in by-polls..."

"We want peace for our people and want to ensure rights for Nishads. People from our community are angry as the SP and BSP did not work on the reservation of our community. We had to face injustice as our community has been put under the OBC category. I have put forth my demand and meetings will be held on this issue," he added.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak while addressing the same press conference said that the Nishad party in alliance with the BJP will defeat the opposition on all the nine seats in Uttar Pradesh by-polls.

"...Nishad party is working with the BJP in the entire state as we are in the alliance... In by-polls of the state, we will defeat the opposition on all nine seats... Nishad community will never forget and forgive what they had to face during the Samajwadi Party's government in the state..." said the Deputy CM.

"The people of UP have understood how goons and mafias were nurtured under the opposition parties' rule. People from the Nishad community faced injustice during their rule," he said.

Earlier in the day, Nishad party chief Sanjay Nishad held a meeting with his party leaders and workers in UP's Lucknow.

Notably, the poll body has announced by-polls for nine of the 10 vacant assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, except Milkipur of Ayodhya district.

The by-polls on 48 constituencies are spread over 15 states - Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

The polling will take place on November 13 and the counting of votes is scheduled for November 23. (ANI)